My War Memories, 1914*1918
live ideas and capable of seizing the popular imagination. The attitude of the Government was lukewarm and doubting. They did not yet understand the nature of propaganda. They were opposed to it on the ground that it was ton blatant and vulgar, whereas true propaganda implies that its activities are unobserved. It works silently. Doubtless because they reali/rd their own powerlessness, the Government thought that any wide and powerful counter-organisation on our part against the enemy propaganda would be more or less a hopeless undertaking. This point of view, or the remark: " Our cause is good, we need no advocate/1 could lead to nothing. We had every reason to take action, not merely to defend ourselves, but to pass from defence to attack* Only so could we treat our enemy a* he, treated us, and hold our own in tho mighty world struggle.
When 1 came to 0.11.0. I found only very poor arrangements, hardly deserving the name of a propaganda organization.
I will say nothing about the Kr/.berger Bureau, as I have no knowledge of its aetivitits. It was given up later.
In the summer of iqif) (j.Ii.Q. had requested the Government to establish a strong propaganda organisation, After many objections had been over-ruled, especially on the part of the" Foreign Office, the military branch of this department was set up in July.
Side by side with this branch, which was to deal with the purely military aspect, the Foreign Office took up tho question of the establishment of similar branches for political and economic propaganda. It was only on this understanding that the Chief of the General Staff in the field hud set up the military branch, All three branches were to work on the same lines;, laid down by the Foreign Office, and carry on a wide and energetic counter* propaganda campaign, not merely contenting themselves with a feeble defence against the enemy's lies, but attack their propaganda directly. The political and economic propaganda service of the Foreign Office was unfortunately confined to a Press and pamphlet service, which was mainly devoted to influencing the Press by means of dimentis, discussions of political events, and
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